Longwall mining installation with drive chain tension control

ABSTRACT

A mineral mining installation with a longwall scraper-chain conveyor having a chain at one side for driving a mineral winning machine. The conveyor is detachably affixed at one end to a frame of a drive station for the chain. The drive station has a frame attached to the conveyor which frame has a top wall which is provided on its underside with two guide tubes. These guide tubes slidably support a constructional unit composed of a drive motor and gearing. The gearing has an output shaft which carries a sprocket wheel engaged with the chain and disposed close to the floor of the working. The upper and lower runs of the chain are guided onto the sprocket wheel with little or no angular deviation from their normal rectilinear course parallel to the conveyor. A piston and cylinder device is used for displacing the unit along the guide tubes to vary the tension in the chain.

United States Patent 1 1 1111 3,790,210 Georg Feb. 5, 1974 154] LONGWALLMINING INSTALLATION WITH DRIVE CHAIN TENSION CONTROL PrimaryExaminer-Emest R. Purser Attorney, Agent, or Firm-Chittick, Thompson &

[75] Inventor: Werner Georg, Altlunen, Germany Pfund [73] Assignee:Gewerkschaft Eisenhutte Westlalla,

Wethmar bei Lunen, Westfalia, 57 I ABSTRACT Germany A min eral mininginstallation with a longwall scraper- [22] Filed: July 3, 1972 chainconveyor having a chain at one side for driving a mineral winningmachine. The conveyor is detach- [211 App! 268912 ably affixed at oneend to a frame of a drive station for the chain. The drive station has aframe attached to [30] Foreign Application Priority Data the conveyorwhich frame has a top wall which is pro- July 14, 1971 Germany P 21 35164.4 vided its underside with two guide tubes- These guide tubesslidably support a constructional unit [52 us. Cl. 299/43, 299/50Composed of a drive motor and gearing: The gearing 51 1m. (:1. E211:29/16 has an Ou p s a ch carries a p k wheel 58 fi id f ggygg 7 03 242gaged with the chain and disposed. close to the floor of 74/242 3 R, 423 A, 24214 R the working. The upper and lower runs of the chain areguided onto the sprocket wheel with little or no [56] References Citedangular deviation from their normal rectilinear course parallel to theconveyorl A piston and cylinder device UNITED STATES PATENTS is used fordisplacing the unit along the guide tubes to 3,658,385 4/1972 Ovenet al.299/43 vary the tension in the Chaim 2,990,168 6/1961 Meinlnghaus 299/3416 Claims, 2 Drawing Figures 11 2o 19 2 3 21 1o 12 i j- '.;EE:::-= 51-.E H- 1 6 7.221;: 1 r: ':"I" LT-"r127; 112%: ;'.T ---\A( J A \V/ 7\ /7\ I//'7 X LONGWALL MINING INSTALLATION WITH DRIVE CHAIN TENSION CONTROLstallations of the-type comprising a longwall conveyor having a mineralwinning machine such as a plough, mounted for movement along one side ofthe conveyor.

It is known to provide an auxiliary drive station for the winningmachine at one end of the conveyor so as to enable the machine to bemoved right up to the end of the conveyor thus requiring no stall zoneor only a small stall zone at this end of the working. This drivestation has an L-shaped frame usually connected to the side wall of theconveyor and supporting the drive means used to drive a drive chainconnected to the machine.

This form of drive station necessitates that the drive chain be guidedonto a sprocket wheel of the drive means with a relatively large angleof deflection. This is disadvantageous since it increases wear and losespower. The drive means is essentially fixed to the frame and hence theconveyor and it is thus not possible to vary the position of thesprocket wheel and the tension in the chain. Other forms of drivestation wherein the upper or lower run of the chain can be guided ontothe sprocket wheel without deflection have also been proposed but thesedrive stations involve other disadvantages.

A general object of this invention is to provide an improved mineralmining installation.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to the invention there is provided amineral mining installation comprising a longwall conveyor with a drivechain at one side and an assembly disposed at one end of said conveyorsaid assembly being composed of a frame detachably fixed at said one endof the conveyor and drive means for driving said chain, the drive meansbeing displaceable in relation to said frame and in the direction of thelongitudinal axis of the conveyor.

In another aspect the invention provides an assembly for use with amineral mining installation having a longwall conveyor; said assemblycomprising a frame attachable to one end of said conveyor and drivemeans with a sprocket wheel engageable with a drive chain disposed atone side of the conveyor, said drive means being displaceable inrelation to said frame in the direction of the longitudinal axis of theconveyor whereby to vary the tension in said chain.

The aforesaid assembly can constitute an auxiliary drive station for awinning machine connected to the chain.

The drive means is preferably slidably suspended from said frame. Thedrive means may have a sprocket wheel engaging with said chain, thesprocket wheel being disposed closely adjacent the floor of the mineworking. In this way the chain can be guided onto the sprocket wheel sothat one or both runs of the chain is undeflected from its normalrectilinear course.

The frame may be provided with at least one elongate guide memberextending parallel to the longitudinal axis of the conveyor and thedrive means has a shaped guide element which slidably locates on saidguide member. Preferably there are two guide members spaced apartlaterally of the conveyor and two guide elements each located onarespective one of said guide members. The frame may be of invertedU-shaped configuration with two side walls and a top wall adjoining saidside walls, the, or each, guide member being provided on the inner faceof said top wall.

A piston and cylinder unit or some other means can be provided formoving the drive means in relation to the frame. This unit can bedisposed beneath the top wall of the frame between the guide members sothat it is protected.

In a preferred form the drive means comprises a drive motor linkedthrough coupling means to gearing having an output shaft carrying thesprocket wheel. The housing of the motor, the gearbox forthe gearing anda casing for the coupling means may be rigidly interconnected to form aconstructional unit extending laterally of the conveyor.

Further according to the invention there can be provided a bracing meansfor bracing the conveyor. This bracing means preferably acts on theframe of the assembly and can take the form of Chocks. However, it ispreferred to use a bracing beam, known per se, which extends across theframe and between the drive and return runs of the chain. The beam maypass through apertures in the side wall of the frame. It is expedient toconnect the assembly to a further frame provided at the end of theconveyor and supporting a drive or reversing drum for the scraper-chainassembly. The two frames may have inter-engageable flanges for thispurpose.

The invention may be understood more readily and various other featuresof the invention may become more apparent from consideration. of thefollowing description.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWING An embodiment of the invention will now bedescribed, by way of example only, with reference to the accompanyingdrawing, wherein FIG. 1 is a side view of part of a mineral mininginstallation made in accordance with the invention; and

FIG. 2 is an end view of the installation.

DESCRIPTION OF PREFERRED EMBODIMENT As shown in the drawing a mineralmining installation has a longwall scraper-chain conveyor 10. On theside of the conveyor 10 facing the mineral face there is provided aguide 12 which may be the side wall of the conveyor, for slidablyguiding a winning machine or plough (not shown). The winning machine isin known manner moved back and forth along the conveyor 10 to detachmineral from the face. A drive chain having a lower run 13 and an upperrun 14, is used to propel the winning machine along the conveyor. Theend of the conveyor 10 is formed with a frame 11 which supports thedrive or reversing drum for the scraper chain assembly of the conveyor.To this frame 11 is attached an assembly made in accordance with theinvention and constituting an auxiliary drive station for the winningmachine. This assembly in fact provides the drive for the chain 13,14.The chain 13,14 is entrained around a sprocket wheel 15 which isdrivably coupled to a drive motor 17. More particularly, the wheel 15 iscarried by the output shaft of gearing mounted in a gear box I6 andcoupling means mounted in a casing 18 connects the gearing to the outputshaft of the motor 17. The casing 18, the gear box 16 and the housing ofthe motor 17 are rigidly interconnected to form a constructional unitwhich is suspended from a frame 19 which is connected, via flanges 20,with the frame 11. The frame 19 is basically of inverted U-shape with atop wall and side walls. The inner face of the top wall is attached totwo laterally spaced guide members in the form of rods or tubes 21 whichextend generally parallel to the conveyor 10. The aforesaidconstructional unit 16,18,17 is provided with, or connected to, guideelements 22 which are slidably located on the members 21 and whichpartially extend around the latter. In this way the unit 16,18,17 andthe sprocket wheel can be displaced in relation to the frame 19. Toeffect such displacement there is provided a piston and cylinder unit 23which is operably connected between the frame 19 and one of severalplates connected to the unit 16,18,17 and having shaped portionsconstituting the elements 22. The unit 23 can thus be used to displacethe sprocket wheel 15 and hence tension or untension the chain 13,14.

The entire assembly 15,16,17,18 extends laterally of the conveyor and isdisposed closely adjacent the floor 24 of the working. This isadvantageous particularly in regard to the fact that the lower run 13 ofthe chain 13,14 can be guided directly onto the sprocket wheel 15without deviation from its normal course. The upper run 14 of the chainis also only deflected by a small degree from its normal course.

A bracing beam 25 known per se is used to brace the conveyor 10. Thisbeam 25 acts on the conveyor 10 via the frame 19 and the beam 25 passesthrough apertures in the side walls of the frame 19 and is locatedbetween the upper and lower chain runs 13,14.

1 claim:

1. In a mineral mining installation including a longwall conveyor, achain guide mounted on the side of the conveyor, an endless drive chainrunning in the chain guide for moving a winning machine along the sideof the conveyor, a chain drive station comprising:

a. a frame mounted on the discharge end of the conveyor;

b. drive means having a shaft-carried sprocket wheel engaging the drivechain;

c. means for slidably suspending said drive means from said frame topermit movement of said drive means in the direction of the longitudinalaxis of the conveyor; and

d. means for moving said drive means relative to said frame to vary thetension of the endless chain.

2. A drive station according to claim 1, wherein said frame hassubstantially an inverted U-shape including a top wall and two sidewalls, said suspending means has at least one elongate member disposedat the underside of said top wall, and said drive means has at least oneguide member mounted therewith, said guide member being telescopicallymounted on said elongate member.

3. A drive station according to claim 18, wherein said frame isgenerally of inverted U-shape having a top wall and two side walls, saidsuspending means includes two elongate members disposed on the undersideof said top wall and spaced apart laterally of the conveyor, and saiddrive means includes two guide elements slidably engaged on saidelongate members.

4. A mineral mining installation comprising;

a. a longwall conveyor;

b. guide means mounted on said conveyor for guiding a winning machinealong one side thereof;

0. a drive chain carried by said guide means for moving the winningmachine along said conveyor; and

d. a drive station assembly mounted on said conveyor for driving saidchain, said assembly comprising;

i. a frame attached to the discharge end of said conveyor;

ii. drive means drivably coupled to said chain;

iii. means for slidably suspending said drive means from said frame formovement in the longitudinal direction of said conveyor; and

iv. means for slidably displacing said drive means relative to saidframe to vary the tension in said chain.

5. An installation according to claim 4, wherein said drive means has asprocket wheel in engagement with said chain.

6. An installation according to claim 5, wherein the chain has an upperrun and a lower run disposed one above the other, at least one of theruns of the chain being guided onto the sprocket wheel so as to follow asubstantially rectilinear course.

7. An installation according to claim 4, wherein said displacing meansincludes a piston and cylinder unit operably connected between saidframeand said drive means.

8. An installation according to claim 4, wherein the frame is providedwith at least one elongate guide member extending parallel to thelongitudinal axis of the conveyor and the drive means has a shaped guideelement which slidably locates on said guide member.

9. An installation according to claim 8, wherein there are two guidemembers spaced apart laterally of the conveyor and two guide elementseach located on a respective one of said guide members.

10. An installation according to claim 8, wherein the frame is ofinverted U-shaped configuration with two side walls and a top walladjoining said side walls, the guide member being provided on the innerface of said top wall.

11. An installation according to claim 4, wherein the drive meanscomprises a drive motor and gearing coupled to said motor, the gearingbeing contained in a gear box connected to the motor housing.

12. An installation according to claim 11, wherein there is alsoprovided coupling means operably disposed between the motor and thegearing, the coupling means being contained in a casing connected tosaid gear box and said motor housing to form a constructional unitextending laterally of the conveyor.

13. An installation according to claim 12, wherein the gearing has anoutput shaft which carries a sprocket wheel engageable with the chain.

14. An installation according to claim 4, and further comprising meansfor bracing said conveyor via said assembly.

15. An installation according to claim 14, wherein said bracing means isin the form of a beam on which the frame is supported and wherein thebracing beam extends laterally across the frame between the drive andreturn runs of the chain.

16. A mineral mining installation comprising;

a. a longwall conveyor;

f. a drive unit including a motor, a shaft geared to said motor, and asprocket wheel keyed to said shaft, said sprocket wheel engaging saidchain;

g. guide elements affixed to said drive unit and slidably carried bysaid elongate guide members; and

h. a piston and cylinder unit connected between said frame and saiddrive unit for effecting displacement therebetween.

l Inventory?) UNlTED S'IA'JES PA'IENT 01mm]; CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTIONDated February 5, 1974 Patent No. .3 ,790 210 7 Werner Georg It iscertified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Claim 3 column 3, line 59 "claim 18, should be --claim 1,--

Signed and sealed this 16th day of July 1974.

(SEAL) Attest:

MCCOY M. GIBSON, JR. C. MARSHALL DANN Attesting Officer Commissioner ofPatents

1. In a mineral mining installation including a longwall conveyor, achain guide mounted on the side of the conveyor, an endless drive chainrunning in the chain guide for moving a winning machine along the sideof the conveyor, a chain drive station comprising: a. a frame mounted onthe discharge end of the conveyor; b. drive means having a shaft-carriedsprocket wheel engaging the drive chain; c. means for slidablysuspending said drive means from said frame to permit movement of saiddrive means in the direction of the longitudinal axis of the conveyor;and d. means for moving said drive means relative to said frame to varythe tension of the endless chain.
 2. A drive station according to claim1, wherein said frame has substantially an inverted U-shape including atop wall and two side walls, said suspending means has at least oneelongate member disposed at the underside of said top wall, and saiddrive means has at least one guide member mounted therewith, said guidemember being telescopically mounted on said elongate member.
 3. A drivestation according to claim 18, wherein said frame is generally ofinverted U-shape having a top wall and two side walls, said suspendingmeans includes two elongate members disposed on the underside of saidtop wall and spaced apart laterally of the conveyor, and said drivemeans includes two guide elements slidably engaged on said elongatemembers.
 4. A mineral mining installation comprising; a. a longwallconveyor; b. guide means mounted on said conveyor for guiding a winningmachine along one side thereof; c. a drive chain carried by said guidemeans for moving the winning machine along said conveyor; and d. a drivestation assembly mounted on said conveyor for driving said chain, saidassembly comprising; i. a frame attached to the discharge end of saidconveyor; ii. drive means drivably coupled to said chain; iii. means forslidably suspending said drive means from said frame for movement in thelongitudinal direction of said conveyor; and iv. means for slidablydisplacing said drive means relative to said frame to vary the tensionin said chain.
 5. An installation according to claim 4, wherein saiddrive means has a sprocket wheel in engagement with said chain.
 6. Aninstallation according to claim 5, wherein the chain has an upper runand a lower run disposed one above the other, at least one of the runsof the chain being guided onto the sprocket wheel so as to follow asubstantially rectilinear course.
 7. An installation according to claim4, wherein said displacing means includes a piston and cylinder unitoperably connected between said frame and said drive means.
 8. Aninstallation according to claim 4, wherein the frame is provided with atleast one elongate guide member extending parallel to the longitudinalaxis of the conveyor and the drive means has a shaped guide elementwhich slidably locates on said guide member.
 9. An installationaccording to claim 8, wherein there are two guide members spaced apartlaterally of the conveyor and two guide elements each located on arespective one of said guide members.
 10. An installation according toclaim 8, wherein the frame is of inverted U-shaped configuration withtwo side walls and a top wall adjoining said side walls, the guidemember being provided on the inner face of said top wall.
 11. Aninstallation according to claim 4, wherein the drive means comprises adrive motor and gearing coupled to said motor, the gearing beingcontained in a gear box connected to the motor housing.
 12. Aninstallation according to claim 11, wherein there is also providedcoupling means operably disposed between the motor and the gearing, thecoupling means being contained in a casing connected to said gear boxand said motor housing to form a constructional unit extending laterallyof the conveyor.
 13. An installation according to claim 12, wherein thegearing has an output shaft which carries a sprocket wheel engageablewith the chain.
 14. An installation according to claim 4, and furthercomprising means for bracing said conveyor via said assembly.
 15. Aninstallation according to claim 14, wherein said bracing means is in theform of a beam on which the frame is supported and wherein the bracingbeam extends laterally across the frame between the drive and returnruns of the chain.
 16. A mineral mining installation comprising; a. alongwall conveyor; b. guide means mounted on said conveyor for guiding awinning machine along one side thereof; c. a drive chain carried by saidguide means for moving the winning machine along said conveyor; d. aframe attached to the discharge end of said conveyor; e. elongate guidemembers provided on the underside of said frame, said guide membersbeing disposed substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis of saidconveyor and being spaced apart laterally with respect to said conveyor;f. a drive unit including a motor, a shaft geared to said motor, and asprocket wheel keyed to said shaft, said sprocket wheel engaging saidchain; g. guide elements affixed to said drive unit and slidably carriedby said elongate guide members; and h. a piston and cylinder unitconnected between said frame and said drive unit for effectingdisplacement therebetween.